Sec. 1844. Collaborative forum to address challenges to and limitations of the defense industrial base
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Not later than 120 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall identify one or more consortia or other entity to serve as a collaborative forum for government, private sector, academia, and nonprofit entities with expertise in advanced manufacturing to address the challenges to and limitations of the defense industrial base. In addressing the challenges to and limitations of the defense industrial base, a consortia or entity identified under subsection
(a)shall establish a working group (or other appropriate organization) focused on each of the following areas: Eliminating barriers to a resilient and robust defense industrial base, including— policies and procedures that impede businesses of all types and sizes from doing business with the Department of Defense; policies, procedures, guidance, or workforce training that result in the application of contract requirements or clauses that should not apply to the acquisition of a commercial product or commercial service; and impediments to transitioning technology from research, development, testing, and evaluation activities to acquisition programs that are approved and funded. Assessing supply chain fragility, including— assessing vulnerabilities from reliance on sole source dependencies and overreliance on countries that are not allies or partners of the United States; and proposing mitigation measures to diversify sources of supply and to develop alternative sources supply to enhance resilience in the supply chains of the Department. Expanding domestic manufacturing and industrial capacity, including— public-private partnerships with the organic industrial base, commercial manufacturers, and other industrial entities; modernization of the defense industrial base and supply chains by fostering the adoption of advanced manufacturing, automation, and other emerging capabilities; integrate commercial approaches to information technology, software, cloud-based services, data management, and artificial intelligence; and recommend financial incentives and business models to encourage private-sector investment efforts to expand domestic manufacturing and industrial capacity. Developing and training a skilled workforce, including— adopting industry-leading programs or other approaches to develop workforce skills in advanced manufacturing, tailored for defense capabilities; and creating opportunities for public-private talent exchanges and skill-building initiatives in advanced manufacturing, supply chain management, and risk management. The Secretary of Defense shall consider relevant work products and recommendations developed through activities of the working group established under subsection
(b)in developing and updating Department of Defense policies, regulations, instructions, and manuals in order to meet the requirements of the defense acquisition system as defined in section 3001 of title 10, United States Code. Not later than March 1, 2026, and annually there after until March 1, 2029, the Secretary shall provide to the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and House of Representatives a briefing that includes— a summary of the implementation of this section; a summary of any work products and recommendations provided to the Secretary under subsection (c); and any recommendations for actions by Congress to address the challenges to and limitations of the defense industrial base. In this section: The term advanced manufacturing has the meaning given in section 4841(f) of title 10, United States Code, as added by section 1841 of this Act. The term organic industrial base has the meaning given in section 2476(f) of title 10, United States Code.